Ever since Cove Park unofficially reopened last fall, Lakewood councilman Dan O’Malley has been watching to see how residents are enjoying the revamped recreation area. “I’ve been riding my bike to the park a couple of times a week to see how people are using it, and it’s really popular,” the Ward 4 councilman says. “It’s great to see it already being used.”

A decade after Ohio City leaders began trying to capitalize on the success of West 25th St. by luring new businesses to Lorain Avenue, local entrepreneurs are moving to this funky west side main street to take advantage of affordable rents and a newly emerging restaurant, retail, and nightlife scene.

You’ve probably seen the mark of Graffiti HeArt all around Cleveland, whether you realized it or not. The nonprofit coordinates graffiti-style murals in the city’s private and public spaces, like the vibrant piece on the Stockyard Meats building in Detroit Shoreway and the “Welcome to Cleveland” painting that greets visitors to Ohio City. But with the opening of the Graffiti HeArt Gallery on May 31, the organization will welcome guests and artists to a permanent homebase.

Many people think the tunnels under the Soldiers Sailors Monument are secret passageways that lead to other parts of Public Square, but “that’s an urban legend,” according to Tim Daley, the Monument’s executive director. What does lay beneath the Soldiers Sailors Monument—built in 1894 to commemorate the valor and patriotism of 9,000 Cuyahoga County soldiers and sailors who served in the Civil War—is a labyrinth of concentric circles made of unfinished sandstone that Daley likens to European cathedral crypts.

After going dark last summer, Night Market Cleveland returns to Rockwell Avenue and E. 21^st St. on Friday, June 21, for an all-new season of food, music, and family entertainment—and even more opportunities for visitors and locals alike to get to know this small, often insular, community.
 

In case the psychedelic decor and music posters that wallpaper his Dave's Cosmic Subs shops don't give it away, rock-and-roll energy encompasses founder Dave Lombardy—and the opening of Cosmic Dave’s Rock Club in the former Barking Spider Tavern space on the Case Western Reserve University campus has him even more energized.

Since the first event was held in 2015, the Accelerate: Citizens Make Change civic pitch competition has definitely made an indelible mark on Cleveland—from "give boxes" in the North Collinwood and Central neighborhoods to special needs toy libraries at Lake County libraries to a vibrant new mural in Slavic Village.
 

Welcome to the latest edition of FreshWater Cleveland's “Who’s Hiring” series, where we feature growing companies with open positions, what they’re looking for, and how to apply. This installment includes jobs from Towards Employment, Cleveland Metroparks, Microsoft, Dobama Theatre, Accounttemps, and The Sculpture Center. Click here for the freshest job opportunities fit to print.

If mastering the art of social media were a poker game, John Gonzalez would have a royal “flush” in hand. As the Communications Manager for NEORSD, Gonzalez spends much of his day Tweeting about everything from not-so-flushable wipes to stormwater selfies to “halftime dumps” during the Super Bowl, aka “Sewer Bowl.” In the process, he’s helped make the NEORSD Twitter account a local celebrity of sorts.

Anyone who has read the works of Elie Weisel or Anne Frank knows that the most powerful way to learn about the horrors of the Holocaust is to hear about it firsthand from a survivor. Visitors to the Illinois Holocaust Museum get an unprecedented chance to do just that, thanks to the work of Cleveland-based company EventWorks 4D.

With 20 cities in the running, Cleveland’s chances of becoming the next Say Yes to Education chapter—and only the fourth in the country to receive the distinction—were just a paltry five percent. Yet according to Say Yes founder George Weiss, it was no contest.

The Cleveland Amateur Boating and Boatbuilders Society now has a permanent workspace instead of PHASTAR, near the Foundry and the Cleveland Rowing Foundation. It's part of a larger community boating center that PHASTAR is putting together that will house other groups—each with a unique tie to boating, the river, or Lake Erie, according to CABBS President Ed Neal.
 

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is known by all for his work in the Civil Rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s through nonviolence and civil disobedience. Many people in Cleveland, however, may not be aware of how often King came through Cleveland in the 1960s—and the lasting influence he had on the city. From civil rights and Christianity to politics and school sit-ins, King was a well-known presence in Cleveland.

Alex Sheen is many things, but "boring" is not one of them. In the last six years, the Lakewood resident has walked across the state of Ohio in 10 days; learned to bake apple pie; personally delivered Disneyland tickets to 100 children with cancer; and driven overnight to bring disaster relief supplies to Hurricane Sandy victims. Why? Simply because he said he would.

If Ben Turshen had his way, meditation would be just as vital to your daily routine as brushing your teeth. Like him, you’d settle in for multiple daily sessions to ease anxiety and feel more relaxed. And, now thanks to Turshen, it’s easier to learn how to follow in his Zen footsteps. After successfully founding Ben Turshen Meditation studio in New York City, he recently moved to Cleveland—bringing his practice with him.

This year, FreshWater Cleveland celebrated eight years of publication—an accomplishment we don’t take lightly in today’s unpredictable media landscape. In honor of eight great years, we’ve compiled the top eight things we’re most proud of for 2018.